


Dark Knights

by iamnotthemafia



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - High School, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gang NCT, M/M, NCT 127 are a gang, OT21 (NCT), mainly fluff, side pairings but idk which ones yet, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2020-12-13 16:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21000443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamnotthemafia/pseuds/iamnotthemafia
Summary: Donghyuck is living a normal live as a high school student with normal friends and a normal part-time job.That changes however when he finds himself in the middle of a gang fight with the school's heartthrob Mark Lee.As his world gets turned upside down he finds the true meaning of friendship, family and love.





	1. I just wanted to go home

Donghyuck and Jeno sat in the cafeteria starring at what was supposed to be spaghetti. "This food is getting worse and worse" Donghyuck said disgusted and shook his brown hair that was falling over his eyes. "Better than nothing" Jeno answered as he started eating. Jeno was always so positive. He managed to find something good in anything and anyone. "I don't know this might actually poison us" Donghyuck joked. "Who is poising you?" a voice asked and Donghyuck looked up to see Jaemin and Renjun joining them. "No one" Jeno smiled at them. "Yet." Donghyuck added. "Good, because I wanted to be the one who finally ended you" Renjun said and pointed his fork at Donghyuck. The latter sticked his tongue out and continued eating. "Anyways Renjun why don't you tell them what happened in history class!" Jaemin said with a mischievous grin. They stopped eating and looked at Renjun. "I am going to kill you" Renjun threatened but Jaemin just laughed. "Well if you won't then I will!" Jaemin cleared his throat, enjoying the attention he got. "Today we were talking about superstitions, tales, legends etc throughout history. You know like witches, dragons and goblins. And it was actually pretty interesting until Ms. Kim started talking about aliens." He made a dramatic pause. Donghyuck started grinning "Oh no" Renjun had strong believes when it came to aliens and had gotten into many arguments because of it. "Oh yes" Jaemin grinned even wider. "Renjun went on a whole rant about how it's ignorant to believe that we are the only intelligent beings in the whole universe and how just because you didin't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Ms. Kim and Renjun were arguing for a good 15 minutes until she gave him 3 days of detention." Renjun crossed his arms over his chest. "Well she was being stupid and I was kind enough to educated her, And this is the thanks I get?" They all laughed until Jaemin stopped them with a serious face. "BUT today was supposed to be our movie date!" He made that sulky face he always makes whenever he doesn't get enough love from Renjun and Jeno. The three had been dating for a few weeks now, but even before that they had always acted as if they were in a relationship. "We can just wait for him" Jeno said smiling at both of them. "You guys can start the date alone and I can just join later?" Renjun suggested but got shut down immediately by his boyfriends. "Absolutely not!" "It's either the three of us or no one!" It was moments like this were Donghyuck felt lonely and envied his friends. They were his best friends but the three of them had a special bond. Whenever they went on dates Donghyuck was left alone, spending the day looking at their snapchat stories, wondering when his special someone would show up. Don't get him wrong, he was happy for his friends, but he just felt like something was missing in his life. 

Lunchbreak went over in a heartbeat as they joked about aliens and ghosts until it was time to go to their next class. Donghyuck's next and last class for today was chemistry while his friends all had physics class. "See you tomorrow Hyuckie!" They waved him goodbye and he made his way over to his locker. Students were passing by him as he grabbed the heavy chemistry book. He hated that class but he was somehow even worse in physics so he had picked chemistry only to find out later that his friends had joined the other class. With heavy steps he slowly made his way to the classroom. He entered and spotted only a few free seats. One next to an extremely chatty girl called Soojin. She was living for drama and always wanted the newest gossip on everyone. There was another seat in the first row, next to the straight A students. And then another one in the back next to Mark Lee. He was the school's heartthrob. He didn't do anything special, but he was a year older and just had a strong aura that was so captivating and slightly intimidating. Intimidating enough for people not to sit next to him if they didn't have to.

Donghyuck was debating on whether to sit with the straight A students and probably embarrassing himself in front of them or sit next to Mark Lee even though he didn't know how the boy would react. The decision was made for him however when another smart boy joined the students in the first row. Donghyuck's eyes shifted towards Mark Lee and watched as he scrolled through his phone looking bored. He took a deep breath and made his way over to the last row. As he moved the chair to sit down the black haired boy looked up at him. Donghyuck looked back, waiting for him to give him any sign whether he could sit there or not. Mark Lee's eyes travelled down Donghyuck's body and up again and then the boy turned his attention back to his phone. The younger let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding and sat down. They didn't talk for the rest of the class, not that Donghyuck had expected it, and when the bell dismissed them Mark nodded at him and left. Donghyuck didn't dwell on their awkward encounter however as he had to leave for his part-time job.

Donghyuck lived alone with his mother. She was working in a boring office job and was not getting paid enough. Her male colleagues all made more money than her. It was infuriating to watch, but there was nothing they could do. So as soon as Donghyuck was old enough he had looked for jobs. He had started wit babysitting, but that didn't pay enough. He took on a second job about half a year ago delivering newspaper, but for that he had to get up at 4am every day. His mom made him quit that job immediately. Now he was working in a convenience store. It was kind of far from home and school, but it was still a lot easier than the previous jobs. 

It was already 8pm when he stepped out of the back door of the convenience stored. Fumbling to close his jacket he turned to the right and walked right into something. "Hey watch where you're going" a deep voice said. Surprised Donghyuck looked up to find a tall man standing in front of him. He was probably in his 20s and glared at him. "I- I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" Behind the man were standing four more, they all seemed to stare at him angrily. _Great job, Donghyuck! Bumping into fucking gangsters like an idiot. _He thought to himself. He was debating whether it was smart to try and run away when he made eye contact with the gangster standing in the back. "Mark Lee??" He asked shocked. Mark seemed just as surprised as him. The tall one looked from Donghyuck to Mark. "You know him?" Mark nodded. "Donghyuck. He's in my chemistry class." If Mark Lee was here then they obviously couldn't be gangsters. Donghyuck relaxed. Everything was fine.

He was about to say goodbye when everyone suddenly starred at something behind his back. Confused he turned around. Another group of men had come to a halt just a few feet away from them. Donghyuck glanced back between the two groups. Mark's friends had lined up immediately blocking the way. Mark stepped in front of Donghyuck shielding him from the eyes of the others. "What are you doing here?" The tall one asked loudly. He sounded angry, Donghyuck shivered. "Just out for a nice evening walk" He couldn't see who had spoken but he sounded cocky. "This isn't your territory, Minho." _Territory?_ The stranger laughed. "What are you going to do, snakes? Hiss at us?" Mark's friends or probably gang as Donghyuck had realised all moved their hands. Scared Donghyuck watched as Mark got out a knife from his back pocket. The tall one stepped forward until he was only one feet away from what Donghyuck presumed to be the leader of the opposing gang. "Fuck off, you ugly stray dog" He said. Now that he had moved DOnghyuck finally got a glimpse at the other gang. The looked even younger than Mark's gang. They looked at the knifes and were obviously debating whether to run or fight. As they waited for an answer to the tall man's insult, Donghyuck's eyes met one of the gangster's eyes. He quickly averted his gaze and hid behind Mark. His heart was racing so loudly he almost didn't hear the stranger's "Let's go." The group left and Donghyuck was left alone with Mark and his friends. Or rather gang. Donghyuck wondered what they would do now and as if they had read his mind they turned around to him, putting away their knifes. "Mark, take care of this" One of them said. Mark nodded and waited for them to leave. He then focused his eyes on Donghyuck's. The younger couldn't move, couldn't even avert his eyes. He felt like he was the prey about to be eaten by a snake. "You can't tell anyone about this. Not other students, not your friends, not your family. No one." Donghyuck looked at him with his eyes wide open. "Do you understand?" Mark asked. The boy nodded scared. "Y- yes, don't worry!" Mark got closer, his stare softening a little bit. "If you tell someone about this, I can't guarantee for your safety." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper. Donghyuck nodded again, not trusting his voice. "Good. See you in school." With that the black haired gangster turned around and walked away. As soon as he had turned around the corner, Donghyuck took off into the opposite direction. He ran and ran until his lungs burned. Panting he leaned against a wall. _Wtf._

A bus ride and many glances over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed later and he was finally home. He told his mom that he was tired and went into his room immediately. He fell onto his bed and closed his eyes. _WTF WTF WTF WTF._ Mark Lee, the beloved Mark Lee, the student Mark Lee, was a gangster. A real gangster. With a knife. That had threatened him. Donghyuck. A normal student who had just wanted to go home. For a second he was thinking of texting his friends but then he remembered Mark's stare as he had threatened him and the knife that he had held so casually, like it was second nature to him. No, he couldn't bring his friends into this mess. He got up again. He would just take a quick shower and wash off all that sweat and anxiety and act as if this had never happened. Yes, that sounded like a plan.

The bags under Donghyuck's eyes were evidence that his plan hadn't worked. He had barely slept, every little sound had startled him. What if someone had followed him? What if they decided that they couldn't trust him and needed to get rid of him? And even now that he was entering the school he was scared to meet Mark. He kept his head low as he tried to walk through the hallways without getting noticed. With clammy hands he opened his locker and almost screamed as he saw a note laying on top of his books. _Don't forget about your promise. - M, _it read. Quickly he grabbed the note and hid it in the bottom of his bag. He grabbed his book and practically ran to his first class. Panting he fell down on the seat next to Renjun. "What's wrong with you?" His friend asked. "Nothing!" Donghyuck answered a little too quick. Renjun cocked up one of his eyebrows. "You look like shit" The brown haired boy made a choked up sound. "Thanks." Renjun shook his head. "I'm serious, you look like you saw a ghost or something" Donghyuck laughed a high pitched laugh, but stopped when the other looked even more worried. "I think I just caught a cold or something" Renjun looked like he wanted to question him further but the teacher saved him by starting the class.

Donghyuck spent the rest of the morning ditching questions and hiding from Mark. But there were only a few minutes left until lunch and he knew he wouldn't be able to hide from Mark in the cafeteria let alone history class which they had right after. Nervously he watched as the clock ticked.

As he sat down to eat with his friends his eyes kept wandering through the room, looking for the intimidating black haired boy. "LEE DONGHYUCK!" He jumped in his seat as he looked at his friends alarmed. "We have been calling your name for a minute now!! What's wrong with you today?" Jaemin asked from his spot across the table. The three of them were looking at him worried. "I uhm.. just tired" Obviously none of them believed him. "Donghyuck, we're your friends. You can talk to us." Jaemin took his hand and intertwined their fingers. They all looked at Donghyuck with such pure feelings of love and support. But he couldn't tell them. It would not only put his own health and possibly life at risk but theirs as well. But he knew them well enough that they wouldn't leave him alone. Jaemin squeezed his hand reassuringly. Donghyuck's mind was racing. He had to come up with an explanation. As much as he hated lying, there was no other way. He sighed. "It's just that.. my mom has been really stressed because of work. Her superiors are sexists assholes as you know, and she seems really tired and I don't really know what to do to help her." He figured it would be best to make up a lie that he wasn't directly involved in so his friends wouldn't try to help him with his made up problem. "Oh Hyuckie", Jeno tucked him into a tight embrace. "If you need help with anything, you can always talk to us! You don't need to go through this on your own!" The guilt of lying was eating Donghyuck up but it was for their best. "I didn't want to burden you with it.. It's not like you can do anything anyways. We're just teenagers." He hid his face in Jeno's neck, not being able to look at his friends' worried faces any longer. "I'm sorry" He whispered. 

Putting an act up in front of his friends had somehow distracted him from the upcoming history class until he stepped into the room and met eyes with no other than Mark Lee. Panicked he averted his gaze and looked for a spot as far away from the gangster as possible. He sat down next to a quiet kid who looked at him surprised. Donghyuck shot him a small smile before getting out his books, trying to ignore the feeling of someone starring at his back.

When the bell rang Donghyuck was the first one to leave. With fast steps he sped through the hallways and out of the building. He kept going like this until he got to the busstop where he impatiently waited for the bus to arrive. 30 minutes later he found himself behind the convenience store. He shivered as he recalled yesterday's events. He unlocked the door as fast as he could and slipped inside. As the door closed behind him he let out a deep sigh. Hopefully this fear would leave soon.

Throughout his whole shift Donghyuck kept his attention high, scanning all the entering customers for any possible gangsters. One time someone dressed in all black entered the store and he almost had a heart attack, but luckily it has just been a normal customer. However when it was finally time to go home stood in front of the door, sacred to open it. What if there were gangsters again? After reasoning that he couldn't stand here forever he opened the door just a few centimetres to look outside. The dark little alleyway seemed to be empty. Careful he stepped outside. Still nothing. Relieved he closed the door and headed towards the street when suddenly a group of men stood in front of him. "Fuck" Donghyuck hissed. HE quickly tried to scan their faces for Mark but to no avail. 

"Hey there pretty boy, where are you headed?" One of them asks. Donghyuck freezes. He would recognise that voice anywhere. It was the guy from yesterday. This wasn't Mark's gang, these men were their enemies. _Fuck, fuck, fuck. _"H- home?" It sounded more like a question than an answer. The men laughed. "Are you sure about that, are you not going to meet with the snakes?" DOnghyuck shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about" He almost whispered. The man came closer. "Drop the act little boy" The man spat out. "We saw you with them yesterday. Seemed to protect you, but seems like you're all alone now." Donghyuck was hyperventilating. "What you you want?" He asked, feeling tears form in his eyes. "We just want to send the snakes a little message" The man smiled and came closer. _This is it. This is how I die. _The man took another step forward, so close that Donghyuck could hear him breathe. The boy closed his eyes, scared of what would come next.

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Donghyuck's eyes snapped open. The gangsters too turned around to see who was disturbing them. Donghyuck couldn't see who it was, but the voice was familiar. "DIDN'T YOU LEARN YOUR LESSON YESTERDAY? FUCK OFF!!" The gangsters stepped to the side, revealing Mark Lee. Donghyuck let out a sob. He had never been so happy to see someone. With long strides the black haired boy came to him. "You're save now" He whispered. He grabbed Donghyuck's hand dragging him out of that horrible alleyway. Tears streamed down the younger's face as they walked to a black car. Mark opened the door for him and helped him sit down. Donghyuck's legs felt like jelly and he was shaking, letting out a sob from time to time. Without saying anything else the older got in and drove off, away from this cursed place.


	2. A (stupid) Plan

Mark's car stopped on an empty parking lot a few blocks away. The engine shut off and all that was left was silence and Donghyuck's silent sobbing. The older boy didn't know what to do, didn't know how to calm him down. Careful he put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. Donghyuck jumped slightly at the sudden touch and he quickly retrieved his hand. "Uhm" Mark started. "Donghyuck" He waited for the younger to look at him but he didn't. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to get you involved in this." The sobbing didn't stop. Helpless Mark tried to find the right words. But before he could come up with anything Donghyuck looked up. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks wet from the tears. "Thank you" He said, his voice sounding like he was about to sob again. "Y- you're welcome" Mark replied hastily. "Uhm wait I might have tissues somewhere" He quickly grabbed his bag from the backseat and started rummaging through it. With a triumphant "Aha!" he pulled out a small package of tissues. Donghyuck took them and dried his face. "Thank you" he said again and attempted to smile a little. Mark looked relieved as he smiled back. 

"Look, Donghyuck." He said after a small pause. "I will think of a way to protect you, okay?" His face was serious again. The younger boy gulped. Right, the gangsters would probably look for him again. This wasn't over. He took a deep shaky breath and closed his eyes. What had he gotten himself into? If Mark hadn't shown up today- "Wait." He said and opened his eyes again. "What were you doing there anyway?" He was suddenly on full alert again. "Oh my god, did you come to threaten me again?" His anxiety started rising again. He had been so distracted with the other gangsters he hadn't even thought about Mark. Why else would a gangster show up at this hour behind the convenience store. He had to get out of here. Away from Mark. Away from gangs. Away from this whole mess. 

He grabbed his bag that had been sitting between his legs and turned around to open the door. "What? No, Donghyuck-" Mark grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving. "LET ME GO" Donghyuck screamed. He tried getting away but Mark's grip was tight around his wrist. "Donghyuck please listen to me!" But he didn't even think about stopping. Struggling to break free he almost didn't hear what Mark said next. "I CAME TO SAY THANK YOU!" The younger boy froze and looked at him confused. "What?" Mark sighed, his grip loosening. "I wanted to thank you for keeping the secret." He looked him in the eyes. Mark was either a very good actor or telling the truth. "Well I didn't really have a choice." Donghyuck answered bitter. Something flashed up in Mark's face. Guilt? "I'm sorry" The black haired gangster said quietly still making eye contact. For a few seconds there was silence. Donghyuck cleared his throat. "You can let my arm go now." Mark's gaze moved down to his hand that was still wrapped around his wrist. He quickly let go as if his arm was a hot tray. "Sorry." Awkward they looked around. 

"Give me your number." Mark finally said and got his phone out. "I will look for a way to keep you save and text you then." Donghyuck typed in his phone number. "And if anything happens you call me immediately, okay?" He took back his phone and called Donghyuck. The younger saved his number and nodded. "Yeah okay." He felt a little better knowing someone was looking out for him, even if that someone was a gangster. "Okay now tell me your address, I will drive you home."

Another sleepless night had left Donghyuck with a headache and even worse dark circles. He stepped out of his shower sighing. He had waited for Mark to text him all night long but to no avail. He hoped the other boy had worked something out and would tell him at school. Luckily he didn't have to work today. He wouldn't have been able to go back there. Not yet.

As he was getting dressed he heard his phone vibrating. He quickly unlocked it. It was a message from Mark. _Finally!_

**Mark: _When do you usually leave your house to go to school? _**

Donghyuck looked at the message. That was not what he had expected.

**Donghyuck: _Around 7:20. My bus leaves at 7:30 _**

**Mark: _Okay I will be there at 7:20_**

**Donghyuck:_ What?_**

Mark didn't answer. Hurriedly Donghyuck got dressed. He tried covering his dark circles with concealer before finally giving up and accepting that he would be looking like a zombie today. He packed his bag and grabbed an apple for breakfast. The clock on the kitchen wall told him it was 7:19 AM and therefore time to go. He waited in front of the apartment building at the same spot Mark had dropped him off the day before.

It didn't take long for Mark's car to stop in front of him. The black haired gangster rolled down his window. "Get in!" Donghyuck did as told and sat down on the front seat. "Good morning" Mark greeted him. "Good morning" Mark started the engine. "So.." Donghyuck spoke up. "Why exactly are you here?" He looked at the older who was focused on manoeuvring through the packed streets. "I discussed your safety with the rest of 127 and we came to the conclusion that the only way of keeping you save is being by your side. At least until we got things settled with the Wolfs." _127? Wolfs? _"Are those your gang names?" Mark nodded. "Wait what do you mean with 'by my side'?" The younger asked. "Like a bodyguard. I will pick you up in the morning, drive you to work and back home again." Mark explained. "No." Donghyuck said. Mark made a confused face. "Donghyuck, this is the only way I can keep you save" But Donghyuck didn't want this. He didn't want a gangster accompanying wherever he went. He just wanted this to stop. But he felt like that wasn't something he should say out loud. "Well uhm.. then.. What do I tell my friends? When they ask me why you are constantly with me?" That was actually a good excuse. Donghyuck was proud of himself. "That's actually a good point.." Mark hummed as he seemed to look for a solution. "Just tell them we're dating." Donghyuck almost choked. "What??" Mark shrugged. "It's the best explanation. Or are you seeing someone already?" Donghyuck shook his head. "No, but still-" He didn't like this. At all. "Do you have a better idea?" The gangster asked. Donghyuck's silence was confirmation enough. "Good it's settled then, boyfriend" Mark grinned. They had reached the school's parking lot but before the older could get out Donghyuck stopped him. "Wait we need a cover story if we want to make this convincing. How did we start dating?" Mark made his thinking face again before answering. "I live close to the convenience store you work at so we met several time and started talking and you instantly fell for me" He grinned while the younger could only roll with his eyes. "Unrealistic. You kept going to the convenience store just to see me and yesterday you finally had the courage to ask me out. I said yes and we are still in the progress of getting to know each other." Mark looked impressed. "Not gonna lie that does sound slightly more convincing." Now it was Donghyuck's turn to grin. "It's settled then." He opened the door and climbed out of the car. The other boy followed and they went into the building.

"What is your first class today?" Mark asked. "PE. Whoever thought of this is a psychopath. Who wants to throw soft balls at people at 8am?" Mark laughed. "What about you?" But they were interrupted by a lough "Hyuckie!" He turned around to see Jaemin running his way. "See you later" Mark said and left towards his class. Jaemin had reached his friend by now and looked at Mark leaving.

"What was Mark Lee doing here?" Donghyuck got red just thinking about lying about dating him. "Why are you getting red?" Jaemin gasped. "Do you have a crush on him??" Donghyuck pressed his hand on Jaemin's mouth. "Can you be quiet for once oh my god." He dragged his excited friend down the hallway towards the gym. As soon as they were away from preying eyes and ears Jaemin removed Donghyuck's hand from his mouth. "Oh my god do you really have a crush on Mark Lee?" Donghyuck looked down to his feet. "we'reactuallydating" he mumbled under his breath. "What?" Jaemin asked. He breathed in building up all of his courage. "We are actually dating." He looked up. "WHAT!" Jaemin screamed. "Oh. My. God. Hyuckie!! We HAVE to tell Jeno and Renjun IMMEDIATELY!!" He grabbed Donghyuck's hand and dragged him towards the locker room. 

Donghyuck was busy making up stories about Mark and him the rest of the day. During lunch break he told them that Mark wouldn't be sitting with them since they had different friends and would be staying with them. In reality Donghyuck didn't even know if Mark had any friends at school. Now that he thought about it he had never seen Mark with anyone. Maybe because he was a gangster. Jaemin also seemed to wonder about that as he asked "Who are his friends? I never see him eating with anyone. To be honest I don't think I ever saw him eating at all." He looked around. "I don't see him." Donghyuck scanned the room. Jaemin was right, Mark was nowhere to be found. "I don't really know where he eats.. I'll ask him later?" A grin formed on Jaemin's lips. "Later?" he asked leaning in. "Are you two going on a date?" Donghyuck blushed. "NO. He's just driving me home" He got quieter towards the end. "That is adorable!" Jeno said while Jaemin squealed. "Oh my God I am SO glad we have the last period together so I can witness you two together!" He said and clapped excitedly. _Oh no.._

As they went to their last class for the day Donghyuck got out his phone.

**Donghyuck: _where will we meet later?_**

**Donghyuck: _my friends will be probably be there just to warn you _**

He got an answer almost immediately.

**Mark: _let's meet at the car_**

**Mark: _and that's no problem! i am a great boyfriend, no need to hide me ;)_**

Donghyuck got red again and quickly shoved his phone in his pocket. But he wasn't quick enough. "Guys, Mark just flirted with Hyuckie and now his cheeks are red!" Renjun said. Shocked he looked at his friend. _How did he see that so fast? _"My eyes are everywhere" Renjun said jokingly with an ominous voice. Jaemin squealed again and grabbed Jeno's arm. "This. Is. So. Cute. You guys never flirt with me!" Renjun sighed. "Jaemin, we are literally your boyfriends. I told you that I love you three times today!" Jaemin's face lit up. "Oh my god you are counting how many times you said I love you??" He squeezed himself between his two boyfriends and took their hands. "I love you two too!" They entered the classroom and settled down at their usual places. 

Donghyuck dreaded the end of school as he knew that he would have to introduce Mark to his friends as his official boyfriend. Just the thought of it made him grimace. So when the bell rang he packed his bag very slowly while Jaemin told him every two seconds to hurry up and his boyfriends watched in amusement.

"Donghyuck, you're taking forever." The boy froze. This time it wasn't Jaemin's voice. Nor was it any of his other friends. He looked up and was met with Mark casually leaning in the doorway. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He tried to hide how uncomfortable he was feeling in that very moment. Mark smiled and came over. "My class finished early so I wanted to surprise you, but I have been waiting in the hallway forever." _How did he even know what class I had?_ "Sorry" he answered shortly and swung his bag on his back. "Mark Lee! So nice to officially meet you! I am Na Jaemin!" Jaemin extended his hand. Without hesitation Mark shook it. "Nice to meet you too" He answered. "And these are my boyfriends Lee Jeno and Huang Renjun" He pointed towards them and they greeted the gangster with a simple hello. "I don't want to interrupt you, but we might want to go now." Donghyuck wanted to escape this situation as soon as possible. "Right" Mark said but before they even took a step Jaemin spoke again. "Mark as far as I can tell you must be a nice guy, otherwise our Hyuckie wouldn't date you, but just in case you will ever stop being nice to him we will end you" He smiled brightly which made his words even scarier. But Mark didn't seemed to be faced. He had probably been threatened by much scarier people than a high school student. He continued smiling. "Don't worry, I'll protect _Hyuckie._" Donghyuck cringed at the nickname. "OKAY let's go!!" He said loudly and tried to pass by Mark to leave the room. But the older had a different plan as he snaked his hand into Donghyuck's and intertwined their fingers. "Let's go" He said grinning at the younger boy's flustered face. They could hear Jaemin whisper excitedly behind them as Mark dragged his fake boyfriend out of the room. "What do you think you're doing??" Donghyuck hissed. "Being your boyfriend. Relax or they'll catch on." The gangster whispered back. Donghyuck sighed and tried not to focus too much on the warm hand holding his.

The car ride was silent except for the radio playing in the background. It wasn't until they were stopping in front of his apartment building when he remembered. "Ah right, my friends were wondering why you weren't at lunch.. And I don't think I've ever seen you in the cafeteria so I was wondering why.." He didn't know if he was intruding on Mark's privacy but he was curious. Mark's face got serious and Donghyuck was worried for a second that he had messed up. "You don't have to ans-" But Mark interrupted him. "I can't really hang out with other students." Seeing the younger boy's questioning face he elaborated. "If people get close to me they might be in danger. Just like you are right now." He looked sad. "Oh." Was all the younger said. The silence felt heavy. "Well if you ever change your mind, feel free to join me and my friends." That seemed to help as Mark smiled. "Thank you, Donghyuck" The brown haired boy cleared his throat. "Well I'll be going now" He opened the door and stepped out. "See you tomorrow" The gangster said before the door closed. Mark waited for him to enter the building before driving away towards 127's base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!!   
Thank you so much for reading! I will try to update whenever I've got time to do so!  
I don't have anyone who is proofreading this but I hope there won't be too many errors ^^  
If you have any questions or things you want to say, you can of course comment! 
> 
> You can also follow me on twitter (@thetyongf) I'll follow back!
> 
> Have a great day! <3


	3. A (fake) Date

Once Donghyuck was home he immediately sat down at his desk. He had done no homework in the past two days and there was a lot to catch up to. Sighing he opened the first book and started working, making sure to keep his phone close in case something happened and he had to call Mark.

After about 20 minutes his phone started buzzing. He quickly unlocked it but it was only their 00 liner group chat.

**Jaemin: _h__yuckie!_**

**Jaemin: _how was your drive home?_**

**Donghyuck: _nothing special_**

**Donghyuck: _we just drove_**

**Jaemin: _boring :(_**

**Jaemin: _i_ _wanted some hot tea_**

**Donghyuck: _jdkjsjk there's no tea_**

**Jeno: _you two are very cute together! ^_^_**

**Renjun: _yes even though jaemin threatened him he was still nice_**

**Jaemin: _don't act as if you hadn't done the same_**

**Renjun: _i never said that_**

**Donghyuck: _you two are so annoying_**

**Donghyuck: _jeno is my favourite now_**

**Jaemin: _i looked out for you and this is how you treat me??_**

**Jaemin: _this is why they say you shouldn't be having kids_**

**Jeno: _don't worry hyuckie! they are happy for you_**

**Jeno: _they were talking about how cute you two are the whole way home_**

**Renjun: _why are you exposing us_**

**Jeno: _:)_**

**Donghyuck: _that emoji is scary_**

**Jeno: _no :( it's a little smiling face_**

**Donghyuck: _sure_**

**Jeno: _:(_**

**Donghyuck: _ANY GAYS_**

**Donghyuck: _i'll go study now_**

**Jaemin: _are you sure you aren't leaving to hold hands with mark? ;)_**

**Donghyuck: _YES I AM SURE HE WENT HOME ALREADY_**

**Renjun: _then why are you screaming_**

**Renjun:_ very sus_**

**Donghyuck: _BYE_**

Donghyuck locked his phone, his cheeks felt hot. This fake relationship would be the end of him.

Every day it got a little easier to pretend to be dating Mark Lee. The car rides also got more comfortable each time. The weekend went by smoothly, even though he didn't dare to leave the house. The only hard part was going back to work. Mark had suggested taking the week off but Donghyuck needed the money. So he spend hours and hours working in fear to be attacked again. When Mark came to pick him up he almost got teary eyed because he was so relieved.

It was Thursday again which meant it had been exactly one week since they had started fake dating. Donghyuck was used to the older picking him up by now, it felt natural as he got into the car. "Good morning!" They greeted each other. The radio was playing and he recognised Micheal Jackson's voice. He turned the volume up and started humming along. Once the song was over he turned down the volume again. 

"What are you doing later?" Mark suddenly asked. "Nothing, probably studying and playing video games or something." Donghyuck answered. "Why?" He was not prepared for the answer. "Let's go on a date." The younger choked on his breath. "A what now?" He said in between coughs. The gangster glanced at him amused before looking back at the road. "People have to believe that we're actually dating. I'm sure your friends will get suspicious soon and so will the rest of the school. There are a lot of rumours about us already." Right, Donghyuck had forgotten about how half of the school has had a crush on Mark at one point or another. "Can't we just say that we went on a date? We don't actually have to go.." He tried convincing the other. "In today's day and age? People don't go on dates without posting about it or at least sending snaps." He had a point. "I guess..." He agreed. "Okay great, then we'll go on a date after school!"

"You guys have been dating for a week now, isn't it time for you to go on a date?" Jaemin asked during lunch. Donghyuck mentally thanked Mark for making plans with him earlier. Perfect timing. "We're actually going on a date today" He said smiling. "In those clothes?? Please tell me you brought something to change into!" Jaemin asked shocked. "What is wrong with my clothes?" He looked down. He was wearing a slightly oversized sweater and black jeans. "You look the same as always. You have to make an extra effort to look good for him!" Donghyuck doubted that that would be necessary but there was no use arguing with Jaemin. "Well it's too late now.." He trailed off. Jaemin slapped his hand on the table and stood up. "Injunnie, get all the make up supplies you've got from your locker. Jeno, I know you have some hair products, get them. And you" He pointed at Donghyuck. "Are coming with me." Jaemin turned around and the others followed him.

15 minutes later Donghyuck looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His friends had done a surprisingly good job in that short amount of time. He didn't look that different, just a slightly better version of his usual self. "Thank you guys" He hugged them. "Any time" They all responded. "You are getting more and more alike. One day you might fuse together into one very annoying person" Renjun slapped his arm. "One very AMAZING person was probably what you meant to say" Jaemin said. They cleaned up the mess they had made and hurried to get into class.

Because of his friends Donghyuck was actually nervous about the da- fake date. So when they were headed towards the parking lot he could feel his heart race in his chest. _Calm down, Lee Donghyuck. This is just for show._ But his heart didn't stop. Quite the opposite happened as he saw Mark leaning against his black car. He was wearing all black. Black pants, a black button down and a black leather jacket. Donghyuck was sure he had worn something different when he had picked him up. His heart rate sped up even more. "Damn he looks good." Jaemin whispered. Donghyuck couldn't even answer. "Have fun! And don't forget to tell us everything when you're home!" Renjun said as the trio walked away. The brown haired boy gulped as he went over to his fake date.

"Hey gorgeous" Mark greeted him. "Shut up" Donghyuck mumbled but he could feel himself getting red. The older opened the door for him. "Ready for our date?" Only now Donghyuck realised that he didn't even know what they were going to do. "Sure" He answered even though he wasn't sure at all. 

The ride was just like always. They didn't talk much and just listened to the music playing. His question on what they were going to do was met with a smile and an ominous "It's a surprise". Nervously the younger started fidgeting. He had no idea what a high school gangster would plan for a date, but he hoped it wasn't too different to his idea of a nice date.

After a while they parked in a small street. They got out and Mark lead him through a few more streets until they stepped onto a small piazza. There were small cafes and restaurant all around them and a pretty fountain in the middle. "Wow" He said as he took in the view. "It's one of my favourite places" Mark explained. "And that over there is my favourite restaurant." He pointed to a restaurant called Green Love. 

When they stepped into the restaurant they were greeted by a smiling waitress. "Welcome to Green Love! A table for two?" Mark nodded and she led them to a little table at the window with view to the fountain. They sat down and she went to get the menus. "This place is so nice!" Donghyuck said not being able to hide his smile. "I'm glad you like it. It's actually environmental friendly which makes it even better! And the food is amazing!" His eyes sparkled. Donghyuck had never seen the gangster like that. He suddenly looked like a normal teenager. And the younger liked it. The waitress returned with their menus and the two picked what they wanted to eat. As they waited for their food they talked. "You should take a lot of pictures today. I'll take some too. Don't forget the sappy captions" Mark said. Donghyuck nodded and got out his phone. "Smile" He said and took a picture of him. He typed the caption "Waiting for our food <3" and put it in his snapchat story. As he looked up he saw that Mark was typing as well. _When did he take that picture? _"We should probably add each other." Mark suggested. They exchanged all their social media accounts. Donghyuck was surprised that a gangster had social media but it made sense to hide behind a "just a normal teenager" mask. He clicked on the older's story and was greeted by a picture of him smiling while looking down on his phone. The caption read "He is waiting for the food even though he is the snack" Embarrassed he closed the app. Mark grinned at him but before he could say anything the waitress returned with the food. They took a few more pictures and posted them on their insta stories. As soon as the food touched Donghyuck's tongue he closed his eyes and let out a satisfied hum. "This is so good!" He said as he went for the second bite. "I know right!" Mark agreed. "We can come back again." The younger continued eating to hide the blush creeping up his neck. What was Mark Lee doing to him?

The older insisted on paying for them and they left the restaurant. They were greeted by the setting sun and everything was glowing in the soft shine. "There's one more place I want to show you" Mark told him. "We can walk there" Donghyuck nodded excited. This fake date was the best date he had ever been on. They strolled down the quiet streets. "We should get to know each other better. It would be weird for us to date and barely know anything about each other" Donghyuck agreed. "Let's each take turns asking questions, you can go first" Mark suggested. The younger pondered for a second. "What's your favourite subject in school?" He asked. "Music" The older answered. The former was surprised to hear that. He didn't know what he had expected but it definitely wasn't that. "Okay my turn, do you have siblings?" Donghyuck shook his head. "It's just my mom and me. What about you?" Mark shook his head. "The only family I've got are 127." Donghyuck was shocked to hear that. How could a teenager be all alone. But the older didn't seem to be bothered. "What's your favourite movie?" Mark asked. "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" Donghyuck answered. "I've never seen that one." The younger brought up his courage and said "Maybe we can watch it together one day" Mark smiled. "Sounds good."

Donghyuck was about to ask the next question when Mark suddenly stopped walking. "We're here." The younger one looked around and saw that they were standing in front of a vintage looking music shop. The black haired gangster opened the door and they stepped into the building. Donghyuck's eyes grew big as he took in the sight in front of him. The room was big with high ceilings. There were vinyls and posters of different artists all over the walls and tables and shelves filled with more vinyls as well as CD's and tapes. There was a counter with a small man standing behind it, scrolling on his phone and a staircase on the right wall that was leading upstairs. Big speakers were playing Prince just loud enough to be heard but quiet enough so you could talk comfortably. Mark stepped next to him. "I love this shop and I love browsing through the vinyls and CDs. And upstairs are some sofas and a small coffee bar." This place sounded like heaven. "I didn't know you were into music." Donghyuck said still looking around. "I actually write music myself. It's just a hobby though." Donghyuck's mouth opened in shock. "Do you like music?" Mark asked.. "I noticed you humming along to Micheal Jackson earlier." The younger nodded excited. "Yes, I love Micheal Jackson! I love music in general. I sing in my free time." Mark looked at him just as excited. "Really? You have to sing for me one day." They got interrupted by the salesman behind the counter. "Mark! I didn't know you would be coming today!" Donghyuck looked to the man. He was smiling and looking at Donghyuck. "You must be Donghyuck?" He asked. The two students had made their way towards the counter and stood in front of him now. "Uh yes" He answered surprised. "Nice to meet you, I'm Taeil." They shook hands. "He's also from 127." Mark explained. The younger mustered the man. He was short and had red hair. His eyes were warm and overall he seemed like a very nice guy. He couldn't believe he was supposed to be a gangster. But then again Mark didn't look like one either. "You seem surprised" Taeil laughed. The boy smiled shyly at him. "We'll be upstairs for a while" Mark said. Taeil nodded and the two made their way upstairs. The decorations were similar to downstairs but half of the room was filled with sofas and armchairs. On one wall was a long table with a coffee machine and a few snacks. Next to it was a jukebox. The went to the table. "Do you want coffee?" Mark asked. The younger shook his head. "But I'll gladly accept one of those chocolate bars" Mark smiled. "Sure, take whatever you want." He made himself some coffee. Donghyuck went over to the jukebox. "Can I turn on some music?" He asked. Mark nodded and so he chose Thriller by Micheal Jackson. 

They sat down on one of the sofas and continued their questions. "When is your birthday?" Mark asked. "June 6th 2000, yours?" He asked. "August 2nd 1999" Donghyuck nodded. "A leo. Interesting." Mark laughed. "Are you interested in astrology?" He asked him. "Not really but my friends really like it so I learned a lot from them." The older nodded. "You said you write music, what kind of music do you like?" Donghyuck asked. "I listened to all kinds of genres. But I rap so I mainly produce hiphop tracks. I want to try different things though." His eyes lit up talking about it. The younger smiled. "And you sing? Can you sing something for me?" Donghyuck laughed nervously. "Right now?" The other nodded. "I don't really sing in front of other people.." He confessed. "Just pretend that I'm not here. Maybe close your eyes." Mark suggested. Donghyuck closed his eyes as told and took a deep breath. He started singing Instagram by Dean. He started off quietly but grew more confident as he sang. He only sang a few lines and when he was done he opened his eyes. Mark looked at him, no starred at him with big eyes. "I'm not that good.." Donghyuck tried to explain but Mark shook his head. "Donghyuck, that was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard." _Oh. _The younger started blushing and hid his face. "Don't say stuff like that.." He said into his hands. "But it's true!!"

They talked for a while longer and as they stepped out of the shop it was dark outside. They made their way back to the car enjoying the silence. On the drive back to Donghyuck's place he sang along the radio songs, feeling comfortable knowing that Mark didn't hate his singing. They arrived faster than he had expected. He turned towards the older. "Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun!" They smiled at each other. "I could say the same to you!" Mark responded. They looked at each other for a few more seconds. Just when Donghyuck was about to say goodbye, Mark lifted up his hand and stroked over Donghyuck's hair. The latter froze at the sudden touch. "Good night, Donghyuck." The older said and pulled back his hand. "G- good night!" The younger said and quickly turned around to hide his face. He climbed out of the car and almost ran towards the front door.

After he had greeted his mom he had immediately went to his room. He got out his phone and texted the group chat.

**Donghyuck: _i'm home_**

**Renjun: _how was the date?_**

**Jaemin: _tell us everything!_**

**Jaemin: _we saw your posts! you looked like you were having fun <3_**

**Donghyuck: _it was honestly great!_**

**Donghyuck: _ he didn't tell me where we were going at first so i was nervous af_**

**Donghyuck: _we don't know each other that well yet so i had no idea if we had the same idea of a good date_**

**Donghyuck: _b__ut he drove me to this very beautiful restaurant_**

**Donghyuck: _and he told me that it was environmentally friendly and he got super excited about it_**

**Renjun: _intellectual!!_**

**Donghyuck: _the food was amazing and we got along really well. he payed even though i protested and when we left the sun was setting already so everything looked even more beautiful!_**

**Jeno: _sounds romantic!_**

**Donghyuck: _he then took me to his friend's store and it was SO COOL!! there were vinyls everywhere and they had a jukebox! and we just sat there and talked and it was honestly so fun_**

**Jaemin: _i am so happy for you, Hyuckie!!_**

**Jaemin: _i can't believe our son has a boyfriend now_**

**Jeno: _i have never seen him so excited over a crush_**

**Renjun: _young love!! *a single tear rolls down my cheek*_**

Donghyuck starred at the last messages. _Crush??_ That was impossible. He couldn't have a crush on his gangster fake boyfriend Mark Lee. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. He would have to try to get rid of this stupid crush as soon as possible. Time to bring the fakeinto his fake relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!   
Let me know what you thought of this chapter so that i can improve my writing ❤️
> 
> also wayv is having a cb soon!! i am so excited! 
> 
> i hope all of you are having a nice day! bye bye ❤️


	4. A Day In The Life Of Mark

Donghyuck had about 2 seconds of peace after waking up before remembering yesterday's (fake) date and his heart sped up. He covered his face. "Why am I like this?" He asked himself. "I fall in love at the worst possible timing." Shocked he stopped breathing. Did he just use the L word? "Oh hell no!! Donghyuck get it together you don't even know this guy. Don't let this crush develop into anything else!!" With new determination he got out of his warm bed. 

He spent an extra effort on looking good today. Of course not to impress Mark but to give him confidence. Yes, that's it. Satisfied he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Donghyuck, you are a strong and independent boy, you don't need no man. You will ignore this minor crush. You can do it! Mama didn't raise no weak bitch!" He nodded to emphasise his words. He went back to his room to grab his bag. One glimpse at the clock told him that he was running late. He sped up his steps. 

He spotted Mark's car immediately and slipped in. "Good morning!" The older said and smiled brightly. Donghyuck's heart skipped a beat. _Calm down!_ He told himself. "Hi! Sorry for being late.." Mark waved his hand as if to say it didn't matter. They rode in silence for a while and the younger began to fidget in his seat. "So.." He said awkwardly. "My friends believed the whole going-on-a-date-thing." Mark smiled, eyes on the road. "Well we technically did go on a date" Donghyuck blushed. "Even if it was just for show" The other continued. Donghyuck nodded. "I guess that's right." A few more minutes of silence. "I think we should make that a weekly thing" Mark said. "What?" The younger asked. He had been lost in his own thoughts. "I mean we should go on dates every week until the whole issue is resolved. It will make it seem more real that way." Donghyuck nodded as calmly as possible, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. "Maybe even meet up on the weekends too." Mark added. "Yeah sure" the younger's voice was a little too high but if the other had noticed anything he wasn't showing it. 

They parked the car and stepped outside. It had begun to rain so they ran to the building in an effort to stay as dry as possible. "What class do you have now?" Donghyuck asked as they walked up the stairs. "Literature by Mr. Lee" The younger looked at him pitiful. "I actually like it" Mark responded to his expression. "First I find out that you like music and now literature too? You are full of surprises, Mark Lee." He joked. They had arrived in front of Donghyuck's first class. "See you later?" He asked. Mark nodded and leaned forward. "See you later, boyfriend." He whispered and kissed the younger's cheek. The latter could feel the blood rushing to his head. Looking at his feed he quickly went over to Renjun who was grinning at him.

__________  
  


It was lunch break and Mark made his way up the stairs. A few months ago he had picked the lock of the door to the school's rooftop and apparently no one ever checked whether it was still locked. So he had returned every day to spend his lunch breaks here. Today was no exception. He opened the door and found it unlocked once again. The rain earlier that day had cleansed the air. Mark took in a deep breath. With a contempt smile he looked for a dry spot to sit. When he found one he set down and opened his bag pack, fishing put his lunch. Taeyong always insists on packing him lunch. At first Mark had protested not wanting to be babied but he quickly came to appreciate the luxury of a home cooked meal. Today's menu was fried rice with vegetables and fish. It smelled amazing so the boy dug right into it. 

He had spent the rest of the break listening to music and almost ended up being late for his next class. The teacher spoke in a monotone voice and bored the whole class to death. Mark was extremely relieved when he was finally allowed to leave. He swung his bag on his back and made his way to the car. To his surprise Donghyuck was already waiting for him. The younger didn't notice him approaching, too busy typing on his phone. "Hey there, cutie" The younger jumped slightly and looked at him with big doe eyes. Mark opened the car door for him before getting in himself. "How was your day?" He asked while starting the engine. "Nothing special. How about you?" Mark hummed. "Same here." It seemed like that was all they had to say so he turned up the radio. Hopefully he would get to hear the younger's singing voice again.

After dropping of his fake boyfriend he made his way to 127's hideout. The house looked like anz other four story house. It was located downtown in a small side street. Mark drove into the underground parking lot. Judging by the cars most of the others were home. As soon as he opened the door to their shared home he could hear someone argue. "It's obviously an overused trope!" That was Doyoung's voice. "That doesn't mean it's not good though." Taeyong. The voices came from the kitchen. "Can you stop bickering? Some people are trying to eat in peace. Oh hi Mark!" Yuta said, sitting in the big dining table. Next to him sat Taeil who was minding his own business while Taeyong and Doyoung stood next to the stove. "Hi" Mark greeted and sat down opposite of Yuta. "No date today, loverboy?" The latter said teasingly. That was apparently enough to get everyone's attention as the two bickering boys stopped and came over to join the conversation. "We're just fake dating." He explained, emphasizing the word fake. "Taeil told us about yesterday" Doyoung said. "Yup, and apparently the date didn't look fake at all." Taeyong chimed in. "Well.." Mark said hit trailed off. "I don't really understood why you two are fake dating anyway. This is not a romcom." Yuta said but before he could answer Doyoung cut him off. "He obviously just wanted an excuse to date that boy." 

"That's not true" Mark tried to defend himself. "Mark, we all know you have been crushing on that boy for the longest time now." He wanted to protest again but he knew he would lose this battle. "Well this _might_ have been _one _of the reasons" He admitted. "But I also just want to keep him save." He played with the sleeves of his sweater. "Yeah, but that's also because of your crush." Yuta said. Mark didn't respond which seemed to be response enough. Taeyong padded his head. "You should bring him over for dinner one day." He suggested. Yuta grinned. "What a great idea!" Marl smirked as he answered. "But only if Yuta isn't here." The older gasped. "How dare you, Mark Lee! I have raised you!" Mark laughed and quickly grabbed his bag fleeing the scene.

He ran up the stairs to the third floor where his room was located. He let himself fall on his bed. Seemed like he had a date idea for next week. He smiled to himself as he imagined dinner with the people he considered family and his crush and (fake) boyfriend. He was about to text the younger when someone knocked on his door. "Yes?" The door opened to reveal their leader Taeyong. "I just wanted to remind you about today's mission. Mark groaned. "I completely forgot about that.." Taeyong smiled. "I thought so. Be ready at 8pm sharp." He nodded and the older left again.

At 7:55pm Mark made his way downstairs. He was wearing all black as well as a black cap and a black face mask that was tucked under his chin. Several knifes were hidden in his clothes. He entered the kitchen and was greeted by 5 men dressed just like him as well as doyoung and taeil who were dressed as usual since they would stay back and guard their home. Jungwoo who was the newest addition to their team looked nervous. Mark sent him a reassuring smile. Shortly after Jungwoo had joined one of their members, Winwin, had joined another gang. They still considered him part of their family and were close to his new gang now. Almost like they were one big gang but split into two groups. Taeyong cleared his throat. Everyone stopped talking immediately, all eyes on their leader. "After shortly going over their plan again they set off into the night.

One of their "customers" as they called them had not paid them the past two months. He was a rich businessman who had required 127's services to keep him save from his competitors as well as scare his competition from time to time. It was nothing unusual but he had stopped paying them or responding to them. Of course they could not let anyone do this to them so today they would tale what's there's. Without any big problem Yuta had overcome the security system and they were now standing in a big living room. Everything was white, the walls, the floor, the furniture. The TV was running but no one was here. Some noise could be heard from a room next doors. Taeyong and Jaehyun sneaked over to the door while Johnny and Jungwoo made their way upstairs. Mark and Yuta stayed back. They didn't need to wait long as shortly after Taeyong and Jaehyun returned with a squirming man between them. The dragged him over to the sofa. His hands and feed were bound together by cable ties. His mouth was shut with duct tape. Taeyong sat down on the coffee table in front of the man. "Mr. Kim, it's been a while hasn't it?" His words were clear even with the mask covering half of his face. The man squirmed again, eyes filled with fear. "You haven't forgotten us, right?" The man shook his head. "Then I am wondering why you didn't keep your promise?" His voice was cold as ice. "Luckily we have a special service. In case someone forgets to pay us we just take the money ourselves." Sweat was dripping down the man's face. The TV was still running, showing a commercial for a new coffee brand. "We will just wait here until my men are done. And I advise you to pay us on time from now on. Understood?" The man nodded so hard he was probably seeing stars. Taeyong put one hand behind his back and with one quick motion he held a sharp knife in his hand. The handle was made out of silver and had different kinds of animals engraved. Mr. Kim pressed himself against the back of the sofa in an effort to get away. Taeyong traced the outline of the man's hands with his knife just a centimeter above his skin. "It was really foolish of you to ignore us like that. I don't like being ignored." As soon as the words left his lips their leader pressed down the knife punctuating the man's skin. The latter let out a whimper. Taeyong lifted the knife up again. The cut was small almost like a paper cut. Before anything else could happen however Johnny and Jungwoo returned. They each held a big bag. Taeyong looked up. Johnny gave them a thumbs up to signal that they got everything they wanted. Their leader stood up. "Seems like it's time to go. I will be awaiting your payment each month as previously scheduled." And with that they left leaving the man behind still tied up. They got into their black van with a fake license plate. The ride back was quiet. They never let their guards down, constantly checking whether someone was following them, taking an extra long and complicated route home. 

Mark only allowed himself to relax the moment they stepped into their living room. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and plopped down on one of their sofas. "Good job, everyone." Taeyong said as he removed his mask and glasses. They all gathered around to inspect the valuable possessions they had stolen. Some jewelry and art as well as some antiques and a bunch of folders with paper that was beyond mark's comprehension but made Doyoung's eyes shine. "Those are worth _a lot_." He said as he flipped through the documents. "Good job!" As the older men started discussing where to sell what, Mark excused himself and headed straight to the bathroom to shower.

The next day went by uneventful. Mark spent that rainy saturday by playing video games with Jaehyun as well as practicing with his guitar. The other gang members were busy finding sellers of their newly obtained goods.

After a tasty dinner cooked by Doyoung the boy sat down at his desk getting out his math homework. They had just started a new topic and if he was honest Mark hadn't understood anything. He should probably ask one of his friends if they could help him. Jungwoo would probably know what to do. He was about to get up when his phone received a message.

_________  
  


Donghyuck hugged his friends goodbye. He had spent his saturday afternoon at jaemin's and as they had fun time flew by. The sun had just set. The street lights made the wet streets sparkle. Jaemin lived about a 20-30 minute walk away and to donghyuck's dismay there was no bus he could take instead. He tried untangling his earphones as he made his way down the street. He was just debating whether to listen to Micheal Jackson or Queen when he felt it. The tingling running down his back as if someone was watching him. He looked up but the street was empty besides an old woman who was unlocking a door. Nonetheless he sped up his steps but the feeling didn't leave. What if the gangsters had found him again? His mind was racing with countless scenarios of him being attacked when he found himself in front of a convenience store. Without thinking twice he entered the brightly lit store. The cashier greeted him before looking back at the magazine she was reading. Donghyuck acted as if he was interested in the different types of sodas while pondering what he should do next. Maybe he was just imagining things and should just go home. But what if the gangsters were waiting outside? He bit his lip. There was only one person he knew that could help him now. He unlocked his phone and started typing.

**Donghyuck: _mark?_**

**Mark: _yes?_**

The response came immediately. Donghyuck sighed relieved, already feeling less alone.

**Donghyuck: _are you busy rn?_**

**Mark: _not really _**

**Mark: _just trying to understand math 💀_**

**Mark: _why?_**

**Donghyuck: _could you maybe come pick me up?_**

**Mark: _why?? what's wrong??_**

Before Donghyuck could answer his screen showed an incoming call from Mark. He quickly picked up. "Hello?" He looked at the cashier who had looked up and tried to speak quieter, turning his back. "Donghyuck! Where are you? Did something happen!" The older sounded alarmed. "I don't know, I may just be paranoid.. But I was on my way home and felt watched and now I'm hiding in a convenience store." He tried to explain but couldn't help but feel a little ridiculous. "Okay, good thinking! You can never be too cautious! Wait a second." He heard someone speak in the background. "I'm going to pick up Donghyuck." Then more talking he couldn't understand and then Mark telling someone to shut up. "Okay, send me your location! I'll be there in a few minutes!" Donghyuck agreed and Mark hung up. The younger did as he was told. So he wouldn't look too suspicious to the cashier he grabbed a random bottle of soda and payed for it while continuously looking outside waiting for the familiar car to pull up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
This time I tried to give quick glimpse into Mark's side of the story! I hope you liked it!
> 
> have a nice day!! 💕


	5. Just another Monday

Just as Donghyuck finished paying he saw a car stopping in front of the store. He hurriedly took the change and almost ran to the familiar vehicle. He spotted Mark behind the wheel and a wave of relieve washed over him. The fear he had felt just mere seconds ago was almost forgotten as he sunk into the seat. "Are you okay?" Was the first thing the other said. Donghyuck looked at him and saw his worried eyes scanning him. "Yes, I'm better now" _Now that you are here._ Mark nodded. "Good, I was really worried." The thought of Mark worrying about him made the younger feel warm inside. "Thank you for coming!" He said. "There was probably nothing wrong, but I was so scared so.. Thank you, really!" The older had his eyes on the road in front of them, but he was smiling. "I was the one who got you in this mess to begin with, I should take responsibility for that." Donghyuck shook his head. "I'm sure most people would've left me on my own." The stopped at a red light and the gangster finally looked at him. "I'm not that kind of person." He said. Donghyuck nodded. "I know." The looked at each other. It felt like their words had a deeper meaning even though Donghyuck wasn't quite sure what it was. Not to mention that thinking wasn't exactly easy with Mark Lee starring in your soul. It took the driver behind them to honk at them for them to realise the light had turned green. Mark quickly started driving again and Donghyuck tried his best to calm his heart beat down.

They had just arrived in front of his home and Donghyuck was in the middle of climbing out when Mark spoke again. "Hey Donghyuck" The younger leaned down, looking in through the open door. "Yes?" The other leaned over a grin on his face that did weird things with Donghyuck's heart. "What are you doing on Friday?" The younger tried to push all the thoughts about how handsome the gangster looked away and go through his mental calendar. "Uhm I don't think I have any plans yet?" Mark's grin got even wider. "Great because I already know what our next date is gonna be!" _Date. Mark Lee. Handsome. Beautiful eyes. _Those were Donghyuck's thoughts before he realised that he should probably react. "Uhh and- and what?" Great now he was stammering. Could this get any more embarrassing? "It's a surprise!" The other answered practically beaming at him. "Uh okay" The younger said, mentally slapping himself. "See you on Monday?" He asks hoping to escape this awkward situation. "Yes, see you on Monday. Good night, Donghyuck." Before he could do anything else embarrassing Donghyuck closed the door and turned around making his way over to the apartment building. As he looked for his keys in his pockets he saw that Mark's car was still there waiting for him to go inside. He shouldn't be so happy about this. But he knew it was too late. He would get his heart broken the moment Mark decided to end their fake relationship. Because that's all it was: fake.

__________  
  


Originally Mark had planned to sneak back in to avoid any teasing about meeting Donghyuck but it's in the middle of the staircase where he remembered his math homework. He sighed and opened the door to his room. Without looking he threw his jacket on his bed and grabbed the scattered paper from his desk.

He made his way back down and as soon as he entered the living room he was greeted with a "How was your booty call?" He dismissed Yuta by simply rolling his eyes. "Where is Doyoung?" He asked. "I think he's in his room working through the new stuff." Mark nodded and made his way back upstairs.

Doyoung's room was also on the second floor and the second largest, after Taeyong's. He knocked at the door and heard a muffled "Come in." Inside he was greeted by Doyoung and Taeyong sitting on the floor, a mess of papers and expensive jewellery between them. "Back already?" Was the first thing Doyoung said. "What did Donghyuck want?" Taeyong added. "He was scared to go home alone this late. After everything that happened..." Taeyong nodded understandingly. "Kind of ironic that he would call a gangster to protect him from gangster." Doyoung joked. "Mark is a good boy." The other defended the younger. "I know that, but does Donghyuck know?" Taeyong hit him. "Anyone who gets to know Mark will see what a great personality he has."

Mark cleared his throat to stop them from bickering any longer. "Speaking of Donghyuck" The two men immediately got quiet and looked at him with anticipation. "I want to invite him for dinner on Friday" His friends smiled. "That's great!" Taeyong said, but Mark wasn't done yet. "I want to invite him to come here and meet all of you. Properly." Taeyong jumped up. "Oh that's amazing! Just wonderful! There's so much to prepare! What does he like? Any allergies?" Now Doyoung got up and grabbed the other men's wrist to stop him from clapping his hands in excitement. "Chill, Taeyong! There is still a whole week left. And it's just dinner." Taeyong gasped. "It's not just dinner! Mark's crush is coming over! Everything has to be perfect. I won't allow anyone to misbehave. I should tell the others so they can help me with the preparations." He turned to face Mark again. "I need you to ask Donghyuck what food he likes and dislikes, okay? Also don't forget about allergies!" He quickly hugged the younger while saying "I'm so proud of you" before disappearing downstairs. 

"You should have told him the day before, now we have to suffer through this for a whole week!" Doyoung whined and sat back down. Mark grinned. "I'll be at school for most of the time." Doyoung just glared at him. 

"Is that all? Because I need to get back to work." He said and pointed at the mess in front of him. "Actually I wanted to ask you to help me with my math homework.." Mark tried his best smile. "I don't really have time for that." Mark knew this wasn't gonna be easy. "But you're the only one smart enough in this house!" The older's expression shifted as a pleased smile danced on his lips. "Fine, sit down" Mark grinned triumphantly.

__________

Sunday went by quickly and so it was Monday morning sooner than Donghyuck had wanted. Don't get him wrong, he missed Mark. But that was the problem. He looked at himself in the mirror. His outfit was especially cute today. A yellow sweater that complimented his skin tone and a pear of tight jeans that hugged his legs just right. It was obvious that he wanted to impress someone *cough* Mark *cough* but he just couldn't help him. Since admitting to himself that he had a crush, it was all that was on his mind. Even in his dreams a person that looked suspiciously like the older was always present. He fixed his hair one more time before slipping into his shoes and heading outside. 

He was a little too early but Mark's car was already waiting. He quickly sat down on the passenger's seat but before he could figure out how to great the other boy, Mark spoke. "Good morning, sunshine" Mark smiled and started the car. "The sweater really suits you." Donghyuck felt himself blushing. "Thanks" He said quietly. He had to resist the urge to hide his face.

"How was your weekend?" The older continued the conversation. "My Sunday was quiet. And we saw each other on Saturday so.." He answered. "I would say a perfect weekend" Mark joked, but Donghyuck couldn't say anything because it was true. 

They sat in silence for a while, the radio playing quietly. The younger had just begun to space out when Mark spoke again. "What food do you like?" The other looked at him surprised. "Suddenly?" He nodded in response. "Hmm.. I like many different things, too many to name them all. I'm not a picky eater." Mark nodded again. "And what food do you dislike?" Donghyuck thought about it for a second before answering "Liquorish". Mark hummed. "Any allergies?" Donghyuck shook his head. "Nope.But why are you suddenly asking all of this?" Mark startet grinning. "I can't tell you that." Donghyuck could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he thought about Mark planning a surprise for him. 

__________

As soon as Donghyuck sat down in the cafeteria he told his friends about Mark planning a surprise for him. "Mark asked me if I'm free on Friday so I figured it would just be a normal date but he doesn't want to tell me where we are going!" he whined. "And he also asked what kind of food I like? Which is weird because we already went out to eat and he didn't ask me that last time." His friends looked at him amused, obviously not understanding how the curiosity was killing him. 

"Maybe he just wanted to be extra sure this time" Renjun reasoned. "But then why won't he tell me?" His friend just shrugged. "Maybe he wants to cook for you!" Jaemin suggested. Donghyuck thought about it for a moment. "Hm.. I don't know, I think he told me he doesn't know how to cook.." He couldn't deny that the thought of the gangster cooking for him made him feel some type of way. "Well it can't be worse than whatever this is" Renjun joked poking around in his food. "I just want to remind you that you brother almost burned down your house, so maybe Mark is just like him." Jaemin said. Donghyuck huffed. "No one is as chaotic as Chenle." They laughed. 

Suddenly someone tapped Donghyuck's shoulder. Surprised he turned around to find a smiling boy behind him. "I heard you were talking shit about me." His cheerful tone didn't match his words. "How did you even hear us?" Renjun asked confused. "I have a seventh sense" Chenle answered like it was the most normal thing in the world. He went to grab two chairs from the table next to them, revealing a tall boy behind him. "Jisung!" Jaemin jumped up and went in for a hug. The shy boy hugged back awkwardly. Renjun was still talking to his brother who was sitting down next to him. "Then what is your sixth sense?" The younger grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy." Renjun hit his arm. "Why are you so annoying?" He asked. "Because I have to make up for your boringness!" Everyone started laughing except Renjun who instead threatened to hit him again. 

With Chenle and Jisung joining them the lunch break went over in a heartbeat. It had been a while since Donghyuck had laughed so much and it felt freeing.


End file.
